Key case



June 2,1931, G. E. PRENTICE 1,808,434

KEY CASE Filed Aug. l, 1930 Patented June i 2,Y 1931 UNITED STATES GEORGE E. rRENTIcnoF BERLIN, coNNEoTIoUT, "AssieriwonV To ein-TRENTICE SM'ANII- Y FACTURING COMPANY, or NEcTIcUT f Y NEW BRITAIN; CONNECTICUT, A IconromITIoN oncoN-f KEY oAsn Application filed .augustY 1, 193e. serial No.; Maasai-1 This invention relates to key holders of lthe type customarily having an enclosing body of flexible material and a plurality of key retaining members pivotally Vmounted so that they may be enclosed within the cas'- 1ng or swung outwardly therefrom to permit insertion and rotation of a key within a lock without twisting the entire case. The invention pertains more particularly to improvements in the rotatable anchors by which `the key hangers are connectedto a metal plate secured to the casing, and has for its principal object the provision of anchor members which are easy and economical to manufacture and which substantially reduce the cost of manufacture without sacrifice of operative eiiiciency.

A recommendedembodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, in which Y Fig. 1 is a front view of an opened key case equipped with the improved anchork members; l

Fig. 2 is an of Fig. 1;

Figs. 3 and 4 are detail views illustrating enlarged section on line 2 2 f a preferred inode of forming'the anchor members; and Y Fig. 5 is a view similarl to Fig. 2 showing a modified form of the metal plate.

In the particular embodiment chosen for the purpose of illustration, the keycase comprises in general a flexible casing of leather,

fabric or the like, consisting of a backpp'ortion 6 and a pair of side flaps 7 and 8 adapted to fold over the central portion 6 and to be detachablyv secured asby a two partsnap fastener indicated at 9 and 10,; a sheet metal plate 11 fastened to the back 6 as byk eyelets 12-0r the like, and having its upper margin rolled into a semi-tubular, anchoreretaining portion 13 which is provided with spaced slots 14; and a plurality of key hangers 15 of usual construction carried by anchor members 16 swiveledfor rotation and sliding movement in the slots 14.l The particular constructionand arrangement of the casing, the vpalte '11 or the hangers 15 are not essential'to this invention, and may take any of several suitable and well-known forms, as de- 15 may bequickly and easily attached by as shown in Fig. 5, the `'55 very inexpensive to manufacture in quantities and easily Worked in shapingdies to produce ainished anchorwhich may assume a variety of shapes and sizes, as desired. In accordance with this invention, I preferably bend the legs into the form of an eye as shown at 19in Fig. 4, by meansof a. half ball die, the ends of the legs being .brought into abuttin relation. The anchor thus formed may e readily inserted in the slots r 14 with the head 17 pivotally mounted within the retaining tube 13, and the key hanger threading it through the eye 19. It is-apparent, however, that the legs 18 may be bent ,together through a loop or eye ofthe key hanger; and this mode ofy application is cus-v tomary whentheiloop of the hanger is non-f',

resilient. A Y Y v It has been foundthat the use of my improved vanchor members in place of therelatively expensive anchors heretofore'VV em'-k ployed, for example, the anchor membersv shownand described `in the Biehl PatentNo. 1,418,059, dated May 30, 19.22,*resultsi'n-a saving ofV approximatelyjiifty per cent in the cost of manufacturing the key case. It

will be understood that thersurfaces of thev Vmetal parts are usually nickel-plated, and` it will be apparent that the improved anchor members are compact and neat in appearancel and work easily and smoothly while the case I as J is in use.A s Y. It should be understood that theI present disclosure is for the purpose of illustration Vonly and that this inventioniincludes 1 all Vto;

modifications and equivalents which fall j within the scope of the appended claims. Y.

I claim:

1. In a key case, an anchor memberfcon sisting of a split metal rivet having its Vlegs Y shaped to venclose an eye. opening for the,YA

reception of a key hanger. -2. In a key case, an anchor member consisting of a' common split rivet having its head countersunk and its leg portionsbent 'Y :may from-'each' other and thenL toward each ,otherso that the leg ends are `inabutting 'mi relation, thereby to provide an eye for the reception of a key hanger.`

Signed by me at Berlin, Connecticut, this 30th day of July, 1980;` 

